Collating apparatus

ABSTRACT

A collating apparatus includes a deflecting means for orienting a horizontally disposed sheet member being propelled forward into an inclined plane with respect to a vertical plane substantially in parallel with the direction of movement of said sheet member, and means for advancing a plurality of bins, one at a time, in succession to mate with and receive corresponding ones of a plurality of sheet members leaving the deflecting means.

United States Patent Braband Oct. 21 1975 [54] COLLATING APPARATUS 2,799,496 7/1957 Allenbaugh .1 270/58 I 2,876,008 3/1959 Mestre 270/58 UX [75] Inventor- Edward Braband Penfield, 3,137,499 6/1964 Maidment 271/185 [73] Assignee: Xerox Corporation, Stamford, I

Conn. Primary Examiner-Roy Lake [22] Filed Dec 12 1973 Assistant Examiner-James F. Coan [21] Appl. No.: 423,956 [57] ABSTRACT A collating apparatus includes a deflecting means for E i 93/93 93/93 270/58 orienting a horizontally disposed sheet member being C .f propelled forward into an inclined plane respect 1 3 :2 271/185 7 to a vertical plane substantially in parallel with the dil 3 93 93 270/58 rection of movement of said sheet member, and means for advancing a plurality of bins, one at a time, in suc- [56] References and cession to mate with and receive corresponding ones UNITED STATES PATENTS of a plurality of sheet members leaving the deflecting 2,019,972 11/1935 Hormel 271/185 X means. I 2,589,676 3/1952 Crissy 270/58X 2,613,077 10/1952 Smith, Jr 93/93 R x 6 Claims, 1 Drawmg Flgure 3 LE 7 l I PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS PROGRAM I I I LOGIC 7/ U SWITCH 47 115V AC US. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 COLLATING APPARATUS This invention relates to collating apparatus in general and, in particular, collating apparatus suitable for use in receiving and collating sheet members, such as copy sheets produced by high speed duplicators.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Collating apparatus typically in use in the modern high speed copier or duplicator machines are either of two types of designs: One is of the type where a plurality of bins are held in stationary positions while suitable means are provided to move forward and gate copy sheets into the successive bins. Another is of the type where the bins are arranged to be indexable and suitable means are provided to index successive bins into mating relationship to receive successive sheets leaving the output means of copiers or duplicators.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved collating apparatus.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved collating apparatus of the type comprising indexable bins.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a collating apparatus which requires lesser amount of space than known collating apparatus.

These and objects of the present invention are achieved by an inventive collating apparatus which includes deflecting means for orientating a horizontally disposed sheet member traveling forward in horizontal plane into an inclined plane with respect to a vertical plane in the parallel with the direction of travel of the sheet member and means for receiving the sheet member leaving the deflecting means.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a plurality of indexable bins, and means for advancing the bins one at a time into a mating position in succession and in synchronization to receive sheet members leaving the deflecting means in succession.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide suitable logic control means for enabling the bins to move forward or backward in increments, one at a time, to collate the sheet members or move each of the bins to receive a given number of sheets to stack the sheet members.

The foregoing and other features and objects of the present invention will be more clearly apprehended from the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with an accompanying drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention will be described in the context of a copier/duplicator environment in that such an environment facilitates graphical illustration very readily and simpler explanation of the principles of the present invention. Referring to the drawing, it shows a schematic isometric view of the inventive collating apparatus. A duplicator with which the present apparatus may be used is schematically denoted as a xerographic processor, XP, which may be of generally well known high speed duplicating machines. Such a machine typically makes a copy a second of a plain paper and edge of or propels out by suitable means such as paper advancing roller pairs 3 and 3' at a relatively high speed,

for example, of 10 inches per second. At this rate of travel the paper has a considerable momentum of kinetic energy to travel further as it leaves the rollers 3 and 3'. Typically, at this point the paper is disposed in a horizontal plane and travels in a horizontal plane. Left alone, the paper continues for a while in the horizontal direction before it comes to a stop or falls due to the force of gravity.

Typically according to the prior art, the paper leaving the rollers 3 and 3' are either collected in an open face tray or further guided by pairs of rollers similar to the pair 3 and 3 and thence to stationary collecting bins. Or alternatively, the paper is sent to a collecting bin indexed into the mating position substantially in the same horizontal plane in which the paper is traveling.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a suitable means such as a deflecting means 5 of a design that guides and orients the paper in such a way that it receives the paper leaving the rollers 3 and 3' and passes it out at its exit side at an inclined angle. At the exit side of the guide 5, a bin 20 may be disposed to receive the paper at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane that is substantially in parallel with the direction of the movement of the paper.

More specifically, the deflecting means may be of a design which includes a pair of parallely and spacedly disposed plates 6 and 6' to trace a helical path in part between the exit side of the rollers 3 and 3' and the bin 20. Preferably, the plates may be so disposed that one side 7 along the path of the paper travel remains in the same elevation and plane while the other side 7' swings down in a helical path. The two sides 7 and 7 and the beginning 8 and 8' and the tail ends 9 and 9' define the boundary of the deflecting means 5. The beginning side of the plate has lips which are flared out to receive the paper propelled to it by the rollers 3 and 3' and guide the paper into the opening of the path between the two plates 6 and 6'. While the deflecting means is shown in the form of a pair of plates 6 and 6'; it need not be so limited. Other suitable means such as a pair of tracks tracing the helical path may be used just as well.

A significant aspect of the present invention is that by designing the deflection means such that the horizontally disposed paper traveling in the horizontal direction is guided through the guide means and is then sent into a receiving bin positioned at an inclined angle a as graphically illustrated in the-drawing with respect to a vertical plane substantially in parallel with the direction of the movement of the paper. Preferably the amount of inclination given to the paper is at the exit 9 and 9' is set at such an angle selected from a suitable range, for example, 30 to so that it utilizes the momentum of the traveling paper to propel it to the bin while minimizing the travel distance. While the bins 20-22 are shown disposed in an incline with respect to the plane of this paper, thereby suggesting that the paper tracing a helical path at the exit 9 and 9' of the deflecting means 5, it need not be so limited. For example, the bin may be more or less disposed in the same plane forming a tangential plane at the exit ends 9 and 9". Such a positioning will minimize or eliminate the retarding and deflecting force otherwise applied to the leading edge of the paper entering into the bins where the bin may be of the typical design having two enclosed sides, bottom and back sides, somewhat shaped like a book case with one side open and positioned to mate and receive the paper from the exit ends of the deflecting means.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a plurality of bins 20,21,22,23 which are movably mounted on a pair of tracks (not shown) by suitable conventional means. The bins are so mounted and the tracks are of such a design that, as each of the bins are brought into the mating relationship with respect to the exit side of the deflecting plates 6 and 6', the bin given the aforedescribed angle of inclination. As illustrated in the drawing the track may be shaped in an elongated race track form and a suitable mechanism may be provided so that the tracks not only provide the endless path but also the bins can be indexed backward or forward, or clockwise or counter clockwise.

Suitable means of a conventional design may be providedso that the plurality of sorting bins are incremented into place one at a time when actuated by a drive mechanism 33 so that each of the bins receives onecopy sheet or a given number of copies. For example, the machine is of a design that includes a suitable programmable logic means 35 and associated circuitry,

as described in detail hereinbelow for indexing the plurality of bins one at a timein the forward or reverse direction to collate or advance the bins so that each of the bins receives a predetermined number of copies to stack copies from the duplicator machine, XP.

To advance the bins in increments the following circuitry may be used. Referring to the drawing, there may be provided a suitable photodetecting means 41 for sensing the light from a light source 43, which light source is positioned to project a light beam to the means 41 transverse to the paper path. A suitable circuit means 45 may be then used to generate an output pulse when the photodetecting means detects momentary cut off of the light beam by the paper. This pulse is then applied to the actuating means 33 via gates 47 and 49 and a time delay circuit 51. A time delay of a suitable duration may be provided to allow the time necessary for the detected paper to travel to the bin and be positioned there before the detected signal causes the means 33 to increment the bin. After the foregoing matter, the detected paper is received into the corresponding bin and then the detected signal pulse causes the actuating means to advance the bins by one so that it is ready to receive the next copy. Obviously, the time delay introduced by the time delay circuit 51 should be less than the time interval between the arrival time of the two successive copies.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a suitable means 61 may be provided in the xerographic machine and in the paper path for detecting the machine or paper jam conditions or machine malfunction conditions in general and apply such a signal to the inhibit gate 47 via its inhibit lead to prevent the motor from actuating and thus advancing the bins forward.

According to still another aspect of the present invention there may be provided a suitable logic circuitry provided in the programmable logic 35 that generates a switching signal and applies the signal to a suitable switch 71 which switches the direction of the movement of the motor of the actuating means 33 from one direction to another and vice versa. The logic circuitry 35, the paper sensing means 41 and 45, the associated gates 47 and 49, and the delay circuit 51 advantageously provide means necessary to index the bins forward or clockwise and backward or counter clockwise in synchronization with successive copy sheets egressing from the guide plate 6 and 6, according to the instruction of the operator programmed into the logic 35 to run off the machine to copy a given number of copies of a document original of a given number of pages.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the programmable logic circuit 35 may be further provided with a suitable circuit to generate a signal of a suitable duration which is applied to the inhibit lead of the gate 49 to prevent a predetermined number of pulses from the paper sensing means 41 from reaching and actuating the means 33. In this manner a number of inhibit pulses corresponding to the number of sheets to be stacked are generated in succession to operate the collating apparatus in the stacking mode.

While the collating apparatus according to the present invention is described in the context of a specific illustrative embodiment, various other modifications and changes may be made from the principles of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A collating apparatus comprising:

means for propelling forward a horizontally disposed planar sheet member along its horizontal plane;

deflecting means comprising a pair of spaced parallel plates disposed and shaped for changing the orientation of the planar surface of said propelled sheet member so that said sheet member leaves from said deflecting means with the planar surface thereof at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane in parallel with the direction of the movement of said sheet member; and collecting bin positioned with its surface at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane in parallel with the direction of the movement of said sheet member and mated to receive said sheet member leaving said deflecting means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said collecting bin is one of a plurality of collecting bins, and means for indexing said plurality of collecting bins in succession in synchronization with successive sheet members leaving said deflecting means.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for indexing said bin includes an endless track, said plurality of collecting bins being mounted for movement on said endless track at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane in parallel with the direction of the movement of said sheet member.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said indexing means include means to reverse the direction of movement of said plurality of collecting bins.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein one side of each of the pair of plates is in line with one side of the path of said sheet member and the opposite side of each of the pair is disposed in a helical path to define a helical guide for said sheet member.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of said pair of plates is outwardly flared to receive said sheet member. 

1. A collating apparatus comprising: means for propelling forward a horizontally disposed planar sheet member along its horizontal plane; deflecting means comprising a pair of spaced parallel plates disposed and shaped for changing the orientation of the planar surface of said propelled sheet member so that said sheet member leaves from said deflecting means with the planar surface thereof at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane in parallel with the direction of the movement of said sheet member; and a collecting bin positioned with its surface at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane in parallel with the direction of the movement of said sheet member and mated to receive said sheet member leaving said deflecting means.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said collecting bin is one of a plurality of collecting bins, and means for indexing said plurality of collecting bins in succession in synchronization with successive sheet members leaving said deflecting means.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for indexing said bin includes an endless track, said plurality of collecting bins being mounted for movement on said endless track at an inclined angle with respect to a vertical plane in parallel with the direction of the movement of said sheet member.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said indexing means include means to reverse the direction of movement of said plurality of collecting bins.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein one side of each of the pair of plates is in line with one side of the path of said sheet member and the opposite side of each of the pair is disposed in a helical path to define a helical guide for said sheet member.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein each of said pair of plates is outwardly flared to receive said sheet member. 